Promotion issues for Alabama JAGs

December 21st, 2010, 05:27 PM

As I read the regulation, 27A officers should be promotable to O-3 12 months after joining the Guard (assuming they're MOSQ, no flags, no other issues, etc.), correct?

Is it permissible for a state to just arbitrarily decide that a certain MOS will have to wait 6 extra months to be promotable? Alabama is requiring us to hold our packets until we've been in 18 months. I'd prefer to move out of "might-as-well-be-a-private" as soon as possible, not to mention the raise that comes therewith.

Comment

I think I'm being misunderstood. The state isn't even letting us turn in our packets until 6 months after the reg says we should be allowed to. That's not to say I think everybody should get promoted right at the applicable time-in-grade mark. But for those of us who are good soldiers, and who are doing our jobs, have gone to our schools, etc., we should get to turn in our packets when the reg says we can, right?

The JAG corps is very captain-heavy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the lowest-level slot for a JAG officer is a captain slot. Mine certainly is. Lieutenants in the JAG corps essentially have no specific job duties and no responsibilities beyond assisting their superiors with their caseloads and getting trained up to be a captain, as far as I can tell. The norm in the active duty side is to make captain essentially immediately upon being MOSQ (the training takes long enough that you've met all the other requirements by the end of it). As an M-Day soldier, I expect that process to take a little bit longer, but not because I wasn't allowed to turn in my packet at all. When the time comes to turn in my packet, I plan to be the best candidate in the stack.

It is very fortunate serving in a direct-commissioned branch that you are moving to O-3 in this time frame. I am curious to what the significant raise will be for an M-day soldier with no prior enlisted experience.

HRC for active component promotions changes on the quickest whim. Recently I heard warrant officers 1 were going to be promoted quicker to CW2 than their predecessors. 24 month TIG to 18 month similar to a 2LT to a 1LT. The point is that I am making that with Junior Officers in which the promotion is automatic; is still subject to changes that can affect some or can affect all. I am surprised that your STARC does not handle it after your S1 approves your packet. I am amazed with the new automated systems in place, that you still have to manually submit a packet.

Comment

Cool. If it's something they have the right to do, I'll just wait the six months no problem.

If it hadn't been, though, then I'd feel obligated to stick up for myself and other soldiers in my position.

Yeah, direct commission sounds like a pretty good deal, until you realize they're just giving you credit for something you already did: slog through law school. And they didn't pay you for doing that; YOU had to pay for that. ROTC or FLEP would have been a much better route if I'd thought about it beforehand.

Comment

In Maine, with few exceptions, folks wait for their DA board. That usually occurs around year three. Our Command philosophy is that there is a seasoning process that we all need to go through. This does not just apply to Lieutenant to Captain but the other ranks as well. The above poster is correct, if you promote too quickly, you could find yourself in a bind.

You are right that slots generally begin at the O-3 level. So what? As the AGR JAG for Maine, I'm in an O-5 slot. I do not expect to be promoted to O-4 one day sooner than my counter-parts.

They are giving you "credit for something you already did" but we aren't entitled to it. We no longer wear our branch insignia and people rightfully expect us to exhibit the skills and professionalism that all basic branch officers possess. I'm certain they will promote you when you are ready.

Army RC and RA are completely different as to the promotion to JA to CPT. Your rank depends on the need of the Army and that is why RA and RC JAs Promote based on a qualified method. NGB retained the authority to promote thier JAs under the APL mandatory promotion board, or under the position vacancy board. As for the second, you need a para/one from the state an a recommendation from the TAG to positively request a promotion under vacancy promotion. If you are not given the opportunity to promote under a vacancy promotion, you most definitely have to wait to be promoted when the APL notifies you that you are eligible and you are within the zone.

Promotion for JA in the guard depend a lot on how well your Guard knows the branch and what they need. If they have a lot of CPTs or senior JA officers, probably they won't have the need to promote you in advance of the APL.

On the other hand, it sometimes depend on how bad your predecessors had it; if they went through the same problems you did, I can guarantee to expect no help from them. People like to compare their case with every others and will include their ordeal to get promoted to CPT in their days.

It is tough, but it is real.

I was promoted to my current rank 3 years after commissioned, one year after deployed and of course, had to wait for the APL because my unit did nothing to help.